5 received English translations are available for this śloka. Each voice is labelled; no single rendering is presented as the Sanskrit itself.
Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 edition attribution in the received data
18.25 An action undertaken through delusion, and with no regard to the spiritual issues involved, or the real capacity of the doer, or to the injury which may follow, such an act may be assumed to be the product of Ignorance.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
18.25 That action which is undertaken from delusion, without a regard for the conseences, loss, injury and (one's own) ability that is declared to be Tamasic (dark).
18.25 Tat, that; karma, action; yat, which; is arabhyate, undertaken; mohat, out of delusion, non-discrimination; anapeksya, without consideration of; its anubandham, conseence, the result which accrues later; ksayam, loss-that losss which is incurred in the form of loss of energy or loss of wealth in the course of any action; himsam, harm, suffering to creatures; and paurusam, ability, prowess-one's own ability fest as, 'I shall be able to complete this task';-without consideration of these, from 'conseence' to 'ability', ucyate, is said to be; tamasam, born of tamas.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
18.25 'Anubandha' or conseence is here the pain which follows when a work is performed. 'Loss' means loss of wealth involved in doing that act. 'Injury' is the pain caused to living beings when the work is carried out. 'Capacity' is the ability of completing the act. Whenever an act is begun without consideration of these and from delusion, viz., due to ignoring the agency of the Supreme Person - that act is said to be Tamasika.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
18.25. The object which is gained, due to ignorance, without considering the result, the loss, the injury to others and the strength [of one's own]-that is declared to be of the Tamas (Strand).
🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद
Received Hindi rendering attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi rendering · source-data attribution
।।18.25।।जो कर्म परिणाम, हानि, हिंसा और सामर्थ्यको न देखकर मोहपूर्वक आरम्भ किया जाता है, वह तामस कहा जाता है।
🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices
5 received English commentary layers are available for this śloka. Open only the voice you wish to study.
Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
18.25 अनुबन्धम् conseence? क्षयम् loss? हिंसाम् injury? अनपेक्ष्य without regard? च and? पौरुषम् (ones own) ability? मोहात् from delusion? आरभ्यते is undertaken? कर्म action? यत् which? तत् that? तामसम् Tamasic (dark)? उच्यते is said.Commentary Tamasic acts cause harm to others. A Tamasic man reflects not at all whether he has the capacity to perform these useless actions? but continues to act blindly. With utter thoughtlessness he sets aside any reflection as to the difficulty of performing the action and what the result of it would be. He carries it on in his own egoistical manner. He does not discriminate between the good and the bad? or what is ones own and what belongs to another.Kshayam Loss of power and of wealth? resulting from the performance of an action.Himsa Injury to living beings.Paurusham Ones own ability or capacity to complete the work.Now listen to the characteristics that pertain to the pure agent. The Lord proceeds to deal with the distinction among the agents.
18.25 Tat, that; karma, action; yat, which; is arabhyate, undertaken; mohat, out of delusion, non-discrimination; anapeksya, without consideration of; its anubandham, conseence, the result which accrues later; ksayam, loss-that losss which is incurred in the form of loss of energy or loss of wealth in the course of any action; himsam, harm, suffering to creatures; and paurusam, ability, prowess-one's own ability fest as, 'I shall be able to complete this task';-without consideration of these, from 'conseence' to 'ability', ucyate, is said to be; tamasam, born of tamas.
18.25 'Anubandha' or conseence is here the pain which follows when a work is performed. 'Loss' means loss of wealth involved in doing that act. 'Injury' is the pain caused to living beings when the work is carried out. 'Capacity' is the ability of completing the act. Whenever an act is begun without consideration of these and from delusion, viz., due to ignoring the agency of the Supreme Person - that act is said to be Tamasika.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
18.23-25 Niyatam etc. : upto Tamasam ucyate. With determination : i.e., it is a thing to be acired. Abundant in offlictions : spread through by nescience etc. Due to ignorance : i.e. due to that which is born of addiction.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।18.25।। तमोगुणी पुरुष कर्म प्रारम्भ करने के पूर्व इस बात का विचार ही नहीं करता कि उस कर्म का परिणाम (अनुबन्ध) क्या होगा तथा उसके करने में कितनी शारीरिक? आर्थिक आदि शक्तियों का क्षय अर्थात् ह्रास होगा। उसे इस बात की भी कोई चिन्ता नहीं होती कि उसके कर्म के कारण कितनी हिंसा हो रही है अथवा लोगों को कष्ट हो रहा है। ऐसे प्रमादी और उत्तरदायित्वहीन लोगों के कर्म मोहवश अर्थात् किसी भ्रान्त धारणा और हीन उद्देश्य से प्रेरित होते हैं। उदाहरणार्थ? मद्यपान? दुसाहसपूर्ण द्यूत? भ्रष्टाचार आदि ये सब तामस कर्म हैं। ऐसे कर्मों के कर्ता केवल क्षणभर के वैषयिक सुख की संवेदना ही चाहते हैं।राजस कर्म के निराशा और दुखरूप फल को प्राप्त होने में कुछ काल की आवश्यकता होती है? परन्तु तामस कर्म का दुखरूप फल तत्काल ही प्राप्त होता है। जबकि सात्त्विक कर्म का फल सदैव आनन्द ही होता है।आगामी श्लोकों में? भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण तीन प्रकार के कर्ताओं का वर्णन करते हैं
🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या
Received Hindi vyākhyā attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi vyākhyā · source-data attribution
।।18.25।। व्याख्या -- अनुबन्धम् -- जिसको फलकी कामना होती है? वह मनुष्य तो फलप्राप्तिके लिये विचारपूर्वक कर्म करता है? परन्तु तामस मनुष्यमें मूढ़ताकी प्रधानता होनेसे वह कर्म करनेमें विचार करता ही नहीं। इस कार्यको करनेसे मेरा तथा दूसरे प्राणियोंका अभी और परिणाममें कितना नुकसान होगा? कितना अहित होगा -- इस अनुबन्ध अर्थात् परिणामको न देखकर वह कार्य आरम्भ कर देता है।क्षयम् -- इस कार्यको करनेसे अपने और दूसरोंके शरीरोंकी कितनी हानि होगी धन और समयका कितना खर्चा होगा इससे दुनियामें मेरा कितना अपमान? निन्दा? तिरस्कार आदि होगा? मेरा लोकपरलोक बिगड़ जायगा आदि नुकसानको न देखकर ही वह कार्य आरम्भ कर देता है।हिंसाम् -- इस कर्मसे कितने जीवोंकी हत्या होगी कितने श्रेष्ठ व्यक्तियोंके सिद्धान्तों और मान्यताओंकी हत्या हो जायगी दूसरे मनुष्योंकी मनुष्यताकी कितनी भारी हिंसा हो जायगी अभीके और भावी जीवोंके शुद्ध भाव? आचरण? वेशभूषा? खानपान आदिकी कितनी भारी हिंसा हो जायगी इससे मेरा और दुनियाका कितना अधःपतन होगा आदि हिंसाको न देखकर ही वह कार्य आरम्भ कर देता है।अनवेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् -- इस कामको करनेकी मेरेमें कितनी योग्यता है? कितना बल? सामर्थ्य है मेरे पास कितना समय है? कितनी बुद्धि है? कितनी कला है? कितना ज्ञान है आदि अपने पौरुष(पुरुषार्थ) को न,देखकर ही वह कार्य आरम्भ कर देता है।मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते -- तामस मनुष्य कर्म करते समय उसके परिणाम? उससे होनेवाले नुकसान? हिंसा और अपनी सामर्थ्यका कुछ भी विचार न करके? जब जैसा मनमें भाव आया? उसी समय बिना विवेकविचारके वैसा ही कर बैठता है। इस प्रकार किया गया कर्म तामस कहलाता है। सम्बन्ध -- अब भगवान् सात्त्विक कर्ताके लक्षण बताते हैं।
🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā
This is verse 25 of 78 in Chapter 18 · Mokṣa-Sannyāsa-Yoga (The Yoga of Liberation & Renunciation)
Canonical reading URL: https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/18/25. This citation identifies Vidhyamitra's received digital witness; consult a named scholarly or printed edition when edition-specific authority is required.
This page is rendered from the pinned 701-address witness documented on the Gītā index. Publication and search-indexing authorization for every bundled translation and commentary layer was confirmed on 4 August 2026; the exact received recension boundary remains disclosed separately.
🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷
सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)